This invention generally relates to a test fixture for determining the integrity of electrical connections between a circuit component or electronic device and a printed circuit board or the like and, particularly, to a test fixture for determining proper or improper insertion of pairs of contact pins from a circuit component through mating pairs of sockets in a printed circuit board.
It is common to electrically connect electronic devices or circuit components to printed circuit boards by means of a plurality of pairs of contact pins, projecting from one side of the electronic device in generally parallel rows, the contact pins being insertable through mating pairs of apertures or sockets arranged in complementary parallel rows through the circuit board. After insertion, the contact pins conventionally are bent against the underside of the circuit board and connected, usually by soldering, to the circuit contacts or leads printed on the board.
Conventionally, the contact pins from the electronic devices are inserted through the sockets in the circuit board at one assembly station. The electrical connections then are made viable by crimping and/or soldering in a subsequent step, often at a second assembly station having proper soldering apparatus. Once the electrical connections have been completed, the entire circuit board is electrically tested to determine electronic integrity. Various causes of failure or lack of electrical integrity may be detected, including the fact that one or more of the contact pins from one or more of the electronic devices, for one reason or another, were not properly positioned through the mating sockets in the circuit board itself.
It would be desirable to determine at an earlier stage in the assembly of the electronic devices to the circuit board whether or not all of the contact pins are properly inserted through the sockets in the circuit board, before proceeding on to the actual electrical terminations and subsequent electrical testing. There is a need for a simple test fixture for determining the mechanics of the system, i.e., proper insertion of the contact pins through the sockets, before proceeding on to the ultimate electronic testing.
This invention is directed to satisfying such a need and eliminating physical defects in the insertion system itself before proceeding to completing the electronic network of the printed circuit board system.